"What's going on? The guiding light just now seemed unstable. Could something have happened on the other side?"
"Something's wrong. We need to reach the exit as fast as possible. Once we leave the Time River and return to the real world, we won't have to fear being pulled back into the Epoch Mist and exiled again."
Although they had already broken free from the range of the Epoch Mist, on the Time River, they hadn't truly set foot in the real world. Without being imprinted with the real world's Time mark or guided by the divine light, they could still get lost again in the Time River, silently returning to the Epoch Mist. This was entirely predictable.
Their bodies still bore the marks of the previous era. Only after undergoing the Time baptism of the real world could they fully return.
Any instability in the guiding light was a massive problem.
"Quickly, while the exit is still stable, charge through at top speed!"
The Light-Dark Great Demon God roared. Leading the way, it barreled toward the portal, fearing that any further change might collapse the Time Gate entirely. That would be catastrophic—something they absolutely could not allow.
"No matter who it is, once we leave the Time River, this debt will be settled properly."
Every returning Eternal Night powerhouse felt an overwhelming murderous intent rise within them.
It was a suicidal move!
Flash!
Already near the exit, they surged forward at full speed. In the blink of an eye, even bodies spanning millions of zhang shrank under the invisible laws and vanished into the portal, leaving the Time River behind. The following Demon God Battlefortresses and Heavenly Demon God Weapons also entered one by one, each fearing that the gate might collapse and re-exile them.
"The fish is in the trap. Retreat!"
A voice echoed through the void. The Time Gate vanished immediately, and the massive rift began twisting and collapsing. The immense Time River hid from the world once more, its connection severed.
"Move!"
Rahu withdrew the Nine Tribulation Sword Array and vanished in the next instant. The colossal Eternal Ark also recoiled using the force from colliding with the Evil Eye Sovereigns, disappearing into the void, and the Blood God Warship vanished as well. It was as if they had all entered another world.
From the moment Hope City appeared to its final disappearance, only a few breaths passed. During this brief time, the guiding light was interrupted, the Evil Eye Sovereigns's clone was destroyed, and countless Eternal Night soldiers were instantly wiped out. Hundreds of Eternal Night demons suffered severe injuries, and some even died from the residual force of battle.
Everything happened so fast. So suddenly. There was no time to react—blink, and it was over, leaving only chaos.
The method used from the Nightmare World had indeed caught Eternal Night off guard.
Swish, swish, swish!
From the void, streaks of blood-colored divine light fell from the thirteen blood moons, revealing countless figures. Every one of them radiated power far surpassing the half-step Overlord Realm.
Among them was clearly the Evil Eye Sovereigns—a clone descending once again.
"Damn it! It's the Eternal World! How did they know we were guiding the return of our powerhouses today? How did they know the exact location? Such a coincidence is no accident. There must be spies within Eternal Night, and their status isn't ordinary."
The Evil Eye Sovereigns's face darkened. This failure was a direct slap to his authority. His fury could be imagined; he wanted to strike the Eternal World into chaos.
"Right now, the most urgent task is to ascertain the condition of Light and Dark in the Time River—are they back in the Epoch Mist, still wandering the Time River, or facing some accident? The Eternal Night Altar, Blood Moon Demon God Banner, and Space-Time Mirror are all intact, ready for another ceremony. We must bring them back."
An indescribable powerhouse spoke quickly.
"I sense the Nightmare World's aura. These Eternal World natives crossed over via the Nightmare World. Their courage is impressive—they aren't afraid of being consumed by it. How did they move freely within the Nightmare World?"
Another mysterious enchantress frowned slightly. From the lingering aura in the heavens and earth, she detected traces of this sudden strike. The ambush had clearly come from the Nightmare World—it was the only way it could happen so suddenly and secretly.
Now, it was too late to dwell on the past. The most important thing was to guide the returning powerhouses. If successful, the consequences were bearable; if not, the impact would be immense.
They had a foreboding feeling: the Eternal World's attack was not just to interrupt the guiding light—it had deeper motives.
Without hesitation, the Eternal Night Altar began preparations again, arranging offerings and readying the Temporal River for reopening.
…
Meanwhile, the Light-Dark Great Demon God and other Eternal Night powerhouses were shocked and enraged.
They had expected to emerge in Eternal Night after passing through the Time Gate. Yet the moment they crossed over, something felt off. Looking up, the void was filled with multicolored bubbles of various sizes drifting through the heavens and earth. Some burst in midair, and countless beings fell into this world, becoming part of it. Dreamlike colors filled every inch of the void.
Some regions collapsed instantly, while new continents emerged out of nowhere. The scenes were astonishing.
The surrounding laws of heaven and earth carried an eerie aura.
"This is bad. This isn't Eternal Night—it's the Nightmare World!"
Light-Dark roared, eyes wide. As a top-tier powerhouse, he was well aware of the Nightmare World. Even if his true body hadn't entered, he had sent clones to explore it before. He knew its strangeness intimately.
"Up ahead is a Nightmare Sanctuary. Who's causing trouble?"
A Nine-Headed Serpent-shaped Heavenly Demon God Weapon growled coldly.
This sudden change was clearly sabotage; otherwise, the guiding light would not have faltered.
"Light-Dark, this is the grave we've chosen for you. Take a good look—the location isn't bad."
A brilliant seven-colored divine sword sliced through the void, like a strike splitting heaven and earth, aiming straight at the Light-Dark Great Demon God.
"Break!"
Light-Dark flared his wings, like a massive fan, striking the seven-colored divine sword. Even a single blow distorted the surrounding void. Countless bubbles shattered, and masses of beings generated from them were crushed by the terrifying aftershock.
"Hope City… Fuxi… Shennong… it's you!"
Light-Dark's eyes contracted sharply, voice icy.
"Just one Hope City dares to confront us? You're asking for death. Then we'll grant it."
The Nine-Headed Serpent roared.
They were very familiar with Hope City, having clashed countless times in battlefields. It was an Ancient-class Eternal Ark, but they weren't weak. The Light-Dark Great Demon God itself was an Ancient-class Heavenly Demon God Weapon, and other Demon God Battlefortresses were also formidable. Outnumbered? Impossible to lose.
Facing them was suicide.
"Eternal Night demons, welcome to the Nightmare. Here, this is not your Eternal Night—this is my home turf."
Yi Tianxing's voice echoed from the Nightmare Tree. As he spoke, countless roots rooted in the earth spread at an incredible speed, covering vast regions, extending tens of thousands of li away.
The roots simultaneously conveyed a massive suction force, drawing vast amounts of Nightmare energy from the earth and void into the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
It was like a whale swallowing water—everything absorbed, without regard for consequences.
Boom!
All nearby plants and trees withered into powder. Fertile land instantly dried, sandstorms rising, turning the terrain into a desert. All power was drained, even the sand itself pulverized and vanished. Nightmare energy from all directions converged, absorbed, and disappeared.
The process was unbelievably fast.
It was the essence of the Nightmare World being drained, leaving no margin.
From the outside, the area around the Nightmare Tree appeared to collapse like quicksand, engulfing everything. The void seemed to crumble.
"Damn it! Who are you? What are you doing?"
Light-Dark's eyes contracted violently, terror written across his face. He felt as if he had fallen into an enormous pit.